THIS is how we can find peace as a mom

I woke up at 3 a.m. That’s not unusual for me. It’s when I do my best worrying. Nothing like trying to be a good mom after a good long night of sleepless worry.

Worry. This is one of those things we mommas do well. We worry about our kids—the decisions they make and the hardships they face. We worry about most of the parenting decisions we make and whether we’ve got it right. We do this, even though we know, in the words of Corrie ten Boom, that “worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”

So how we can move from being moms who are weighed down with worry to moms who parent freely with wonder – the hopeful expectation of what God is doing in the lives in our kids? Let’s start here, with the wise words of the apostle Paul:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT)

Paul says, “Instead of worrying, pray!” Take it all—every last bit of it—to God. He doesn’t say, “Pray about some things.” He says, “Pray about everything.”

And when we do, Paul assures, we will experience the peace we crave. Peace that will guard our overwhelmed hearts and our 3 a.m. minds.

The peace our hearts crave in the midst of all the pressure— the peace that “exceeds anything we can understand”—can be found in only one place. And it isn’t in problem-solving. It’s in prayer.

Our prayers have a profound impact on our kids’ lives. In fact, I think it’s fair to say prayer is the most powerful thing we can do for our kids.

Now maybe you already know that. Maybe you already know how powerful prayer is, and yet, like me, your prayer life doesn’t always reflect that truth. You know what I mean? So nobody needs to be reminded of this more than I do. I worry mostly because it hurts to see our kids struggle, but also because I struggle to know what to do.

Thankfully, James, the brother of Jesus, has good words for us about our struggle. He writes, “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help” (James 1:5 MSG).

Okay, my fellow mom. How often do you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing as a parent? James tells us to pray to our all-knowing, all-loving heavenly Father who loves to help.

Then James goes on to write, “You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought” (James 1:6 MSG).

We are invited to bring all ouruncertainty and all our inadequacyto our Father who loves to help. And God’s Word assures us that wecan have peace amidst the pressure. Friend, we do our best parenting through prayer! So what in the world are we doing settling for anything less than that?